TOP 10 BEST JUSTICE LEAGUE EPISODES

For this list, we’ve chosen the greatest episodes from the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated television series. Be warned many of these entries contain spoilers, so if you haven’t seen this fantastic series yet, you have been warned.

No one can say that Justice League didn’t go out with a bang, as this final episode gave us everything we could want in an episode. With the return of Darkseid and his armies, it takes both heroes and villains alike to stop him. Every member of the League gets a chance to shine, perfectly blending together large-scale battles with character traits. We see Batman, even under threat of total vaporisation, refuse to compromise his principles, but the highlight has to be Superman’s fight with Darkseid. Not only do we get one of his greatest speeches that defines the character of Superman entirely, we also get the mother of all punches along with it!

This three-part finale was just one epic twist after another. After assisting them in battle, Hawkgirl’s people, the Thanagarians, arrive on Earth and offer their help against an alien race that seeks to conquer Earth. This turns out to be nothing more than a ruse for total planetary domination, one that actually succeeds. Now fugitives, the Justice League have to fight against an entire empire, all the while Hawkgirl is torn between her allegiance to her people and to the League, including, her newfound love with Green Lantern. Packed with too many amazing moments to count, this episode not only was a great way to end the original Justice League series, but became an event that would affect Hawkgirl for years to come.

It was only a matter of time before a supervillain team that rivalled the Justice League assembled itself. And wouldn’t you know it, Lex Luthor would be leading the charge. After being diagnosed with cancer due to his constant exposure to kryptonite, Luthor decides he wants to take down the League with what little time he has left. Recruiting fiends like the Joker to help enact his plan, he kidnaps Batman and plots to destroy the Watchtower with the rest of the heroes in it. What follows is not only a series of great hero vs. villain battles, we also get to some classic Batman moments. Who knew the World’s Greatest Detective was also one hell of a seducer?

It’s well established that Lex Luthor’s greatest weapon is his mind, and nowhere is that better displayed than in his manipulation of both the public and Superman himself. As his popularity in the political field rises, especially due to his endorsement of the powerful but naïve Captain Marvel, Superman becomes more and more convinced that he’s up to no good. Things turn violent when Luthor tricks the Man of Steel into thinking he’s planted a bomb, only for Captain Marvel to step in. The two heroes battle it in an all-out brawl, only for Superman to discover there was never a bomb, and has been publicly humiliated in order to increase the distrust between the world and the Justice League.

The idea behind this episode had potential for just as many laughs as it did thrills, and it certainly delivered on both. Both Lex Luthor and the League are after knowledge that Grodd has, and so both attempt to enter his mind via science and sorcery. The result is Luthor and Flash switching minds, leading to chaos on both ends. Flash has to avoid raising suspicion around a group of volatile supervillains while everyone aboard the Watchtower has to deal with a superfast Lex Luthor. On an interesting note, the Flash’s voice actor, Michael Rosenbaum, also portrayed Lex Luthor on Smallville. No wonder he could pull off the dual personality so well!

What would happen if Superman were to die? After supposedly being vaporised, the Justice League mourns the death of their most important member. Hell, even Lex Luthor is sad he’s gone. We get an especially touching scene with Batman as he says goodbye in his own way, showing just how much he respected him. Of course, not all is at it seems, as Superman has actually been sent 30,000 years into the future. Now without his powers due to an absence of a yellow sun, he has to find a way back to his own time and prevent a devastating future. The icing on the cake? We get an appearance by the main man himself, Lobo!

The problem with supervillain team-ups is sooner or later someone is going to try and double cross the other. Evil geniuses Lex Luthor and Gorilla Grodd are two such villains, and it isn’t long before both are battling it out for control of the Secret Society. Eventually Superman’s Greatest Foe manages to outwit the gorilla and launch him into the vacuum of space. Now free to pursue his plan to resurrect Braniac, it looks like things are finally going Luthor’s way…until he actually ends up bringing back a greater threat in the form of Darkseid. Looks like you done goofed up there Lex.

Another breakthrough character for the series was undoubtedly the conspiracy theory obsessed, purple suit wearing hero known as The Question. As it turns out, his cautious mentality turns out to be warranted as he discovers Lex Luthor’s plans to discredit the Justice League. As a result he’s kidnapped and tortured for information, leading to a pretty thrilling rescue by Superman and the Huntress. As always, it’s cute to see how the odd coupling of Question and Huntress stands out. On top of that we’re given another hero vs. hero battle when Captain Atom arrives to foil their rescue attempt.

For those of you that felt like that the Teen Titans and the Justice League should have teamed up during the series run, this is as close as it gets. The voices behind the Titans lent their talents to the infamous Royal Flush Gang, a group hired by the Joker to battle the League. Not only do we get the cast of Teen Titans, we also get some classic Batman and Joker moments. The Dark Knight shows how good at multitasking he is by telling Flash how to disarm a bomb while taking a punch, all the while The Joker pulls off one of his greatest gags with the audience themselves. Oh, and Green Lantern and Hawkgirl totally hook up.

Taking a back seat from the main seven members of the Justice League, this episode focuses on two pairs of heroes and their opposing objectives. The Huntress, a recently exiled member of the League, is in pursuit of the vile man who murdered her parents, and recruits The Question to help her kill him. Standing in their way are Green Arrow and Black Canary who are on a mission to defend him at all costs. While the action is thrilling, what steals the show is how each pairing’s romance blooms. Arrow and Canary are now openly acknowledging their affection for each other, while bizarrely enough even someone as weird as The Question gets some action with Huntess. Good for him really.

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One of the earliest activities we engaged in when we first got into astronomy is the same one we like to show our children just as soon as their excitement about the night sky begins to surface.
That is the fun of finding constellations.